San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has written a tough-sounding letter to Time Warner Cable executives, urging them to end a yearlong impasse with Fox Sports San Diego that prevents about 22 percent of the county's pay TV households from watching Padres games.

But it's unclear from the letter or the mayor's response to questions about it exactly what the repercussions might be if Time Warner ignores the mayor.

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Here's what Filner wrote on Feb. 11: "I strongly urge you to reconsider your current decision not to provide your customers with Padres baseball this season, and act in a manner deserving of your customers' trust and continued business. Rest assured, I will continue to monitor this situation and am prepared to take the steps necessary to bring about a resolution prior to the 2013 baseball season."

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Filner's letter expresses how "closely" he has been following the TV impasse and his "great disappointment" with Time Warner, especially that it is "no closer to reaching an agreement with Fox Sports" after all this time. It is one in a series of pointed remarks, including recent criticism from Padres president Tom Garfinkel, meant to put pressure on Time Warner Cable with the April 1 start date of the Padres season looming.

"I understand that companies must make decisions that are in the best interest of their bottom line," Filner wrote to Time Warner Cable Chairman and CEO Glenn Britt and Executive Vice President Melinda Witmer. "That said, when every other major video provider in the region has reached an agreement with Fox Sports and your network has ceased discussions, one is left questioning Time Warner Cable's true motivations."

Filner added, "The civic camaraderie that sports teams bring to an area cannot be overstated. As Mayor, I will do everything in my power to ensure San Diegans around the region are able to follow and support our hometown baseball team."

Them's fighting words, right? Well, then how come we haven't heard them from the mayor since he wrote the letter 17 days ago? To date, the Mayor's Office has not even acknowledged the letter's existence.

In fact, a Filner spokeswoman responded to my Feb. 20 request for "any and all letters the city has distributed to anyone involved in this television situation" by dancing around it. Instead of sharing the letter and airing the criticism more publicly, Filner's Office forwarded my email to the City Clerk's Office and began a process by which city officials have 10 days under state law to respond to public records requests. So far, they have yet to do anything other than acknowledge that request.

After I obtained a copy of Filner's letter by other means Thursday, I emailed Time Warner Cable, Fox Sports San Diego and the mayor's spokespeople for comment.

The Mayor's Office didn't reply immediately and a Time Warner spokesman said he couldn't respond "tonight."

I received the following statement from Henry Ford, senior vice president and general manager of Fox Sports San Diego: "It's very encouraging to have Mayor Filner bring attention to this issue and hold Time Warner Cable accountable. All of the other major providers in San Diego -- Cox, DirecTV, Dish and AT&T -- see the value and have agreed to offer Padres telecasts to their customers. Time Warner Cable's continued blackout of these games is inexplicable, especially in light of their spending on sports rights in Los Angeles."